The Espresso Break

Neapolitan Christmas Pastries

2012-12-18T17:14:00.000+01:00

Regional pastries abound throughout the city and during Christmas three desserts in particular can be seen in pasticcerie everywhere: Struffoli, Mostacciuoli, and Rococo.

The guru of neapolitan desserts, Luciano Pignataro, has written a fabulous and comprehensive book I dolci napoletani where he reveals the secrets of these Christmas treats. For English speakers, he has translated the Christmas page of the book at his website with a bit of the history of the three treats as well as recipes for each.

Here, I'll only give a brief history of the treats as well as pictures:

Struffoli: Once prepared by nuns in Naples and given as a gift to noble families at Christmas, this dessert consists of fried balls flavored with honey and decorated with multi-colored candied almond balls.

Mostacciuoli: Are said to bring good luck.

Rococo: Nuns prepared this treat all the way back in 1320. They are hard biscuits that are then soaked in vermouth or wine.

Buon Natale!

The Espresso Break: The Ebook

2012-08-03T21:53:00.001+02:00

The Espresso Break is now available as an Ebook. You can download your copy here.

Thanks again to everyone for reading and commenting on this blog. I have transferred all my posts to a new Naples travel website Naples (Napoli) Guide. Feel free to contribute posts, ideas for Naples travel, or comment there. I will be hosting some free giveaways and contests, so do take a look.

Also, the paperback is now available internationally through Amazon.com as well as other on-line outlets.

It's summer, which means time for travel! If you plan to do some wandering of the European continent and beyond, check out some of my recommendations at Matador.

Finally, I'm hard at work on a political thriller novel and hope you might be interested in reading more about it as the publication date gets closer.

Un caro abbracio,

Barbara

The Espresso Break Goes Paperback!

2012-04-01T06:00:00.000+02:00

Thanks again to everyone for reading my blog! I'm excited to announce the paperback publication of The Espresso Break: Tours and Nooks of Naples, Italy and Beyond, available on Amazon.com and coming soon to other on-line outlets.

Again, thanks to everyone for reading, for commenting, and for all the interesting information you've handed me in the past. I would love to hear more from you on my new Naples travel website Naples (Napoli) Guide. Feel free to contribute posts, ideas for Naples travel, or comment there.

Un caro abbracio,
Barbara

The Precepe Tour

2010-12-11T06:00:00.233+01:00

The Christmas Special: The Precepe, or nativity scenes, are a Neapolitan tradition that make Christmas particularly special in this city. In keeping with the spirit, I would like to suggest a Saturday walking tour of the most spectacular precepe. Children will particularly love these places and adults will be able to see some of the top sights of Naples, with a Christmas bent.

1) Start at the Villa Comunale in the Chiaia district where you'll easily find parking and enjoy a view of the Bay of Naples and the Castel dell'Ovo. The Villa Comunale is a large park with play sets for kids. A few blocks up the road from here, enter the Santa Maria in Portico Church. Go to the sacristy where you'll find a life-size precepe created in the 17th-century. (Address: Via Santa Maria in Portico 17)

2) Take the funicular at Parco Margherita up to the Vomero district and then walk up the hill to the Certosa di San Martino. The vast number of precepe in this museum are considered the finest in the world, including a figurine created by Guiseppe Sanmartino, the sculptor of the Veiled Christ.

3) Walk down the hill to the Vanvitelli metro station and take the subway to Piazza Dante. You can also take the stairs across the street from the Certosa that wind down into Naples. The stairs provide wonderful overlooks of the city as well as quick access to the city center. However, I've been warned several times that the area is dangerous (even during the day) with mafia, pickpockets, and a descent into some of the seediest places in Spaccanapoli.

Once you get to Piazza Dante, walk down Via Monteoliveto until you come to Piazza Monteoliveto. Take a right into the piazza and you'll find the Sant'Anna dei Lombardi Church. Go into the caverns of the sacristy to find Guido Mazzoni's Lamentation over the Dead Christ (1492), with seven life-size terracotta figures surrounding Christ. Beyond it, you'll also find Vasari's sacristy with wood marquetry and a stunning ceiling fresco. In a room between these two amazing works, you'll find a sprawling precepe scene.

Mazzoni's Lamentation of Christ

Precepe Scene

Vasari Sacristy

4) Go up to Piazza Del Gesu Nuovo and walk down Via Benedetto Croce. This is one of the two main arteries of downtown Naples with a wealth of things to see. Walk along this road and take a left onto Via San Gregorio Armeno, also known as Christmas Alley. (I would highly recommend stopping first in a side street of Via San Severo to visit the Veiled Christ.) If you're at Christmas Alley on a Tuesday morning, you'll also be able to see the miracle of Saint Patricia's blood liquifying.

At Christmas Alley you can buy vintage Neapolitan delights such as pulcinella, the Neapolitan Flip-Over coffee maker, and precepe figurines. But be aware that you won't be able to take precepe through customs, so the precepe you buy in Naples will likely stay in Naples.

5) If you're not tired out by then, walk to Via Duomo, take a left, then take another left on Via Anticaglia. This street is one of the oldest of the city, dating back to Greco-Roman times. Along here, smaller shops tout elaborate handmade precepe also.

On another day, you can also visit the Reggia di Caserta and look for a massive precepe behind glass.

Precepe figurines at the Reggia di Caserta

These are my top six picks of where to find precepe around Naples, but they can be found almost everywhere. What's more, Neapolitans are so proud of this distinct artistic heritage that precepe can be viewed during all months of the year. If you happen to be visiting the city in June, you can also take a precepe tour.

For other ideas of what to see and what to eat during Christmas in Naples, check out my Table of Contents -- Holidays in Naples.

Buon Natale a tutti!